Loony Lovegood, Not So Loony
by cccahill18
Summary: By chance, Neville meets up with Luna while on a walk one month after the war ends, and turns an ordinary day into a defining one. NevilleLuna, written before DH came out.


Disclaimer: The characters in this fic belong to J. K. Rowling, not myself. If someone has told you that it was me, they are liars, and there's no way around it.

A/N: This ship should have actually happened, but alas. Enjoy reading.

_Loony Lovegood, Not So Loony_

It was an unusally warm January day, for England, at least. The small patches of snow on the sidewalks were more like slush, and many of the cars on the London streets had their windows rolled down, if only a little. I was walking briskly, with nowhere to go, which I found myslef doing more and more since the War had ended a month ago. Even though I had never been a very valuable member of the Order of the Phoenix, it had always made me feel slightly better in the dark times to know that I could do something without screwing it up, even if the tasks were in reality miniscule.

After Harry had one the final battle (which was close throughout, to let it be known), I had been just as happy and exhilirated as everyone else, yet I sensed deja vu from back in my Hogwarts days when the DA had stopped after my fifth year. Being a part of the DA had made me feel as if I belonged, as did the Order later on. When they ended, I was alone once more. I still talked to some of them, mostly the ones who had been around my year in school, but not as often or with as much a sense of urgency. With Gran gone now (from natural causes, thank God), I was completely on my own.

A car whizzing past suddenly drenched me with high velocity street water, turning the warm afternoon into a chill one, for me at least. I silently cursed under my breath and decided there was no place to go now but home, which was very simply a small flat I was renting on Diagon Alley.

It seemed like I had only walked ten paces from where I had been hit that I heard a voice call out my name. My first thought was that someone had merely been calling out for another individual, but the voice became louder and more recognizable.

"Hello, Neville." I immediately knew the voice to belong to Luna Lovegood, who had been a Ravenclaw in the year before me. She had been a part of the Order as well, but did less than even I did. I hadn't seen her since before the end of the war because of conflicting assignments. As usual, Luna had the same dreamy, semi-vacant expression on her face.

"Hello, Luna. How have you been?" She shrugged as if it was of little importance.

"Fair. Dad and I took a trip to the States to investigate a possible sighting of the winged durambrae, but no luck. Often times people confuse them with the spotted flying kagomile."

"Sounds interesting." I knew with almost certainty that there was no such thing as winged durambrae or spotted flying kagomile, but I was also aware of Luna's unique personality.

"Not nearly as interesting as being a part of the Order, though. I know it must seem barbaric, but I almost wish I still had the chance to be a part of it." That was one thing I admired about Luna, her ability to say what others feared to. Instead of looking at me now, she was staring up in the sky like she was trying to decipher the meaning behind the clouds. She walked alongside me for a few blocks until she spoke up again. " I heard about your Gran. I knew she was close to you." Her large blue eyes had found their way into my own brown ones.

"Yeah, she was." I didn't really feel like talking about Gran just yet, and felt grateful that Luna didn't pry like some of the others had done at first. We didn't talk again until we reached the Leaky Cauldron to lead us back to Diagon Alley, and the only noise was the jingle of Luna's butterbeer cap necklace, which I was somewhat surprised to see she still wore.

Maybe it was the sound of her necklace, or the sight of her dreamlike eyes, or her just being there , but I felt suddenly at ease with life in general. It was just like back at Hogwarts, even in the years after the war had started. Luna and I were always included, even if we were more like fifth wheels sometimes, and that was okay with me since I wasn't quite alone. After graduation, we had seen each other occaisonally, but not nearly as often as we had in the past. My life had slowly gone downhill, but now, even in silence with Luna, I felt so much better than when I had set out for my walk. I found myself dreading when we would be forced to part to different paths, perhaps to never meet again.

"I told Dad I'd meet him here," said Luna as we approached Flourish and Blott's Bookstore. I had to think of something quickly, to avoid the inevitable.

"Err . . . Luna, would you like to have dinner with me sometime? I'm a terrible cook, but we could probably go out . . . if you want to, of course. If you don't want to then-"

"I'd like to do that, Neville." Luna smiled and looked more excited than Neville has ever seen her. "Is this weekend all right with you? Dad and I are going to be in town for a bit, but why not sooner than later. Do you mind if I choose the restaurant?" I knew Luna with her different likings would probably choose a place that would be a threat to my health, but I was game.

"That's fine with me. Where are you staying?"

"Meldonsen's Bed and Breakfast. They have the perfect garden to try and find flying cuersacs."

"Well, I'll pick you up in front on Friday night at six, it that's okay."

"Sure. I won't be doing anything. I'll see you then." Then with an ease that I imagine only Luna could have, she gave me a small peck on the cheek, and then turned to go into the bookstore. It took my brain a few moments to register what had just taken place, and so Luna had almost disappeared through the doorway by the time I called out a farewell. It was going to be rather diffcicult to wait the rest of the week until Friday . . .

The End


End file.
